A Dead Man's Return

XIV. Overwhelming

Nobody's POV:

First day of the Goodwill Event - Monday

...

11:58 AM

Isolated from everyone and having no idea where they were, Yuji stood at the edge of the forest, awaiting the signal to start. There were speakers set up all over the place, also probably some hidden cameras. Yet, the vessel's mind was preoccupied with other matters.

First things first, he was alone– probably not the best idea considering he could be ganged up on by the entire Kyoto school at once and be picked off. He had no idea where his teammates were, so looking to them for help wasn't an option.

Secondly, his main objective was to find and fight Todo so the others didn't have to– distract him so to speak. He was a little nervous, sure, but the exhilaration that coursed through his body was something else. He was so excited to fight someone stronger than him– albeit a bit concerned about the whole 'best friend' ordeal. Hopefully, Todo would graciously have mercy on him and teach him a thing or two about Jujutsu.

Thirdly, being separated from Nobara bothered him. He didn't doubt her abilities, not by a long shot, but the Kyoto students could always target her since they'd probably assume she's the weakest out of all of them. Like Maki had said before, there was no telling what they'd do and what sort of cheap tricks they'd pull. Fair one-on-ones were probably the last thing on the other team's mind since it wouldn't be efficient, right?

Also, he couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt– it literally made him sick.

"ON YOUR MARKS..."

"...That's loud." Itadori pressed his pointer fingers into his ears, being ripped out of his thought process as a familiar voice boomed through the speakers.

"GET READY... GO!! By the way, don't lose please!"

Having his ear drums nearly ripped into shreds from Gojo's voice, Yuji sighed and walked into the sea of trees while inhaling one last bit of the brisk, fall air. Loud noises began to sound in all directions, presumably the two classes already having met on the large battlefield.

He could literally feel everyone's cursed energy, as it fluctuated all throughout the vast forest. Reminding himself that he had a job to do, Itadori picked up the pace and ran closer to the loud noises, adamant to search for and find Todo. It was like running through an endless maze, as everything looked the same no matter how far he travelled towards the heart of the forest.

A projectile suddenly whirred past him, then another, which he was somehow able to dodge as he ducked and continued to run. They had to be bullets, as he could hear the sharp crackle of a gun  in the distance. The question was, were they strays? They seemed a lot slower than regular bullets, although he could tell they still packed tremendous power considering they oozed with cursed energy.

Yuji stopped in his tracks and picked one of the bullets up, analyzing it quickly before the next shot rang out. They were made of rubber... so they were specifically made to be non-lethal? Well, non-lethal for those who were sorcerers– a non-sorcerer would most likely die by the impact.

Another shot split through the air, Itadori darting his head in all directions, then jumping away. He still couldn't see who was shooting, but he knew now that these weren't just strays– someone was aiming at him. The bullet pelted against the ground near him, adrenaline beginning to course through his body as his legs kicked up a gear and he sprinted through the forest.

He had the ability to sense cursed energy and it's trails thanks to Nanami and his lessons back during their mission a few weeks ago. Yet, with everyone using their techniques at the same time, it was a little hard pinpointing who was who. Not to mention, whoever was shooting at him was doing so from a good distance away.